The Sanctum
The Sanctum Physical Description / Layout As one of the more southern zones, the Sanctum has a significant variation in its altitude, with no less than four different levels present, with the sanctum being on the second. They are ordered in height; the first is the lowest, second the next highest, third the next and fourth the highest. However all of these levels are focused around one structure that exists within the center of it all: the Sanctum. Think of it as a giant cathedral, dominating the majority of the subzone. The Sanctum faces North, towards the castle. At its rear there is no room to maneuver and instead the ground descends one level where an intersection is present, surrounded by plazas, fountains and one or two houses. If one goes east from the intersection, they arrive at the Commons / Worker’s District. If one goes west, they will eventually reach the Trader’s post while going south will take you to the inns. This lower level is fairly narrow, but it’s not as cramped as the Industrial district and there is significant room to maneuver. The west of the sanctum is actually fairly isolated – the upper level curves around to create a small niche that is only accessible either via the Sanctum’s side exit or via a ramp to the far west or the North that leads up to the third level. It is essentially a large garden, with benches, trees, fountains and many small covered areas with shrines present in them. Some of these shrines are just as gothic as the Sanctum, others are of different religions. There are a lot of people mulling about here. The center of this plaza is dominated by a large fountain surrounded by four statues of the Governor. The North of the Sanctum also has a fairly flat area, the road leading to its entrance is grandiose and magnificent. However, the closer you get to the Sanctum, the more you notice that something is wrong. The trees around the Sanctum are all dead, the fountains and plaza all have a fair bit of dirt on them. Going back up the path a short distance will lead you to a ramp that goes up to the third level, which stretches across the entire northern bit of the sub-zone. Its not very remarkable apart from the fact that it holds quite a few trader’s shops and houses. Like the southern part, it isn’t really crowded here and is fairly pleasant overall. The fourth – and highest – level exists on the North-East corner of the subzone and is fairly large. It is essentially the corner of the town square, one which holds its religious delegations. Mood, Lighting, Look & Feel The Sanctum, despite being a place for worship, is always dark. The sun almost never comes out from the clouds, while the rain is almost a constant presence. Things around the sanctum are the worst, with trees outright dying and the lights around it giving it an unearthly red tinge. This is not the place of holiness or sanctity that one might expect – in fact, it is the opposite considering the deeds you are here to do. Here’s a few pictures of the lighting and general architecture: http://frozenmist.co.uk/wallpapers/IMAGES/wallpapers/Gothic%20Church%20%281280x1024%29.jpg http://fc01.deviantart.com/fs27/f/2008/145/9/8/Gothic_Church_by_Paradox_Photography.jpg Important Locations The Sanctum The Sanctum is a large cathedral of sorts, built roughly half a century after the settlement of Sedaire. It’s had a long and troubled history though, as many of its priestly contingent have been known to go mad over the decades. Over the recent few months, things have grown far more insular as the Sanctum has been largely closed to the public, officially under “renovation works”. However, many people suspect that something rather bad has gone horribly wrong within the Sanctum itself and the priestly contingent are trying to cover it up. The Nihilists have until now respected the Sanctum’s privacy, but have no desire to continue this any longer. Their main objective is simple: go inside, investigate what’s going on within the structure and its many cellars and report back your findings. Things go horribly wrong however, when you find that the Priestly contingent have formed a cult of sorts within the cellar; having gone absolutely mad due to being aware of the repetition – and almost all want to kill you. When killing the head priest, you will retrieve his logs – which indicate that he was actually beyond the wall when the repetitions took place and saw how it had changed. His logs will give what the Nihilists need to know, but will also provide you with a clue to find a secret room within the Garrison. The Orphanage The Orphanage is located to the South-East corner of the map, near the roads down to the inns. Built by the Sanctum twenty years ago, it was meant as a place where orphans could grow up and live hidden from the cruelties they had faced at the hands of life, foster parents or otherwise. As much else in the city, even the best of intentions can go horribly wrong. A group of enterprising people viewed the orphanage as a source of cheap labor and secretly took over its administration several years ago. They have been sending the orphans on “field trips” to the factories for years now and have been virtually unchallenged since the city guard were too busy pandering to the Governor’s request as well as high-level connections with the priests in the Sanctum. Normally the Monastery abhor such behavior and do everything they could to stop it – and still intend to should time be fixed, but with the days repeating themselves all efforts are futile. Still, there is something here that can aid them immensely in a mid-game quest. The player’s main objective is to go into the orphanage and locate a child named Milax, one whom they recognized is not only awakened, but may have so for centuries now and is far older than he looks. You will need to find him – however, he hides fairly well and most likely you’ll need to deal with the children to get to him eventually, either through guile or other persistence. Once done Milax will give information on translating the symbol carved into the Inn which you managed to uncover earlier. Doria’s Estate One of the greatest scientists the Society ever had was Charles David, whom was a prolific inventor until his retirement and marriage to a foreign woman named Doria. He was known to perish a few years later and Doria inherited his estate. While the coincidence was more than suspicious, later investigations found no signs of foul play. Although Doria is long since dead, her niece, Alexandria now owns the estate – and the inventions that lie within it. A spoiled brat by all measures, the society will send you here as part of a mid-game quest to get some blueprints from Charle’s study. You will need to either kill Alexandria (not an easy task as she has many gaurds), convince her to let you take the blueprints by either tricking her or trading something valuable for it. The Shrines The Shrines to the west of the Sanctum are important for one reason only: there is a secret sewer located underneath the fountain. This sewer’s location will only be revealed if the player manages to get to the castle and finds the clue in the secret room there. There is only a dead body here, but a name is scribbled on it: its that of a famous trader down at the trader’s post. Major Events 1. After completing the Sanctum quest, the priest and his cultists disappear mysteriously. . 2. During the late game a large number of people will migrate from this area and up the city towards the wall.